• Edward R Laws and Garni Barkhoudarian.
• Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Electronic address: elaws@partners.org.
• World Neurosurg. 2014 Dec 1;82(6 Suppl):S152-4.

ObjectiveAs interest and enthusiasm for the use of the endoscope in transsphenoidal anterior skull base and pituitary surgery increases, neurosurgeons are increasingly adopting endoscopic technology and associated novel concepts. Often this involves a transition from the standard operating microscope as the main means of visualization to the operating endoscope (2D or 3D) during surgery.MethodsThe authors' experience with this transition is described, including the rationale, advantages and disadvantages of the two surgical techniques.ResultsThe successful use of endoscopic surgery for a large variety of pathological problems involving the anterior skull base and the pituitary region is presented. Perceived advantages for the patient and the surgeon are described, as is the occasional need for transition back to the microscopic approach.ConclusionsThe endoscopic approach and its allied technology are here to stay. They are useful and occasionally preferable methods for treating a variety of suitable lesions involving the anterior skull base. The importance of incorporating the basic principles of skull base surgery is emphasized.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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